Wakeup Club Callers

We know that many regular listeners never think to call a radio station, even their favorite. Whether or not your participation goes beyond putting us on in the morning, we appreciate the time you choose to spend with us. That said, Rebecca and I really want to send out a special acknowledgement to regular callers on the Soft Rock 106.5 Wakeup Club like Mike Smith (center) from Westerly. Mike takes time out of his busy day as circulation manager for the Westerly Sun to pick up the phone and chime in on some show topic or to ace yet another Breakfast Brainbuster question. The list of regulars continues to grow, and it makes our day to have that kind of loyalty.

Radio FAQs: The Most Asked Question

"Do you pick your own music?" As soon as someone finds out you work in radio, that is by far the most asked question. I suppose that can't be helped, since the term "disc jockey" has been used to describe radio people for decades. That may have been true at one time, but those days are gone. For one thing, we almost never jockey discs. Secondly, the music selection process has gotten a lot more sophisticated. It is essential to a station's survival to decide on a target audience and to focus like a laser beam on catering to it. As a former program and music director, I can appreciate the work that goes into this music scheduling process. I am not nostalgic for the old days of scrambling for a 45 to cue up with seconds left on the one playing. Music is too important to be a snap decision by air people busy with other show elements. How do they decide what gets played? While some stations occasionally insert requests, there is often a fair degree of market research involved before a song makes the air. That means we actually do give listeners a chance to tell us what they want to hear! Going out and finding these potential listeners is more of a reflection of what works than just waiting for random people to call us. Then it is programmed through music software like the one pictured above from MusicMaster or Selector. For radio vets, this post will elicit a "well, duh" response, but to casual listeners it is probably earthshattering!

Hard to Digest

As a huge fan of actress Jamie Lee Curtis, I generally don't think we see enough of her. That may have changed lately. It's sort of funny to see her on TV pitching yogurt that helps balance your digestive system. Sure, digestive health is important and a buck is a buck, but the Activia ad campaign reminds me of another comedown. One of the greatest singers in history, George Clooney's aunt Rosemary, may be best remembered by a whole generation for her Coronet toilet paper commercial: "Extra value is what you get, when you buy Coronet!" Apparently the folks at Saturday Night Live saw the humor in linking Ms Curtis with digestive health products too. I can't help but think they could have gone with another actor. It probably won't be Wilford Brimley; he's booked.

It Does Matter

When I traveled to Canada last summer, the Montreal and Ottawa talk radio stations' topic number one was America's treatment of prisoners in the War on Terror. CBC-TV covered it thoroughly, too. The U.S. administration was not scoring many points in the discussion. Here's a friendly next door neighbor that shares our involvement in the Afghan war, yet our reputation as a champion of human rights seemed to be on the line. If that's the case there, what could our standing be in nations closer to the Muslim world? President Obama's efforts to close Guantanamo Bay prison, and bring these captured combatants into the U.S. for justice, have been called by critics an attempt to appease a few foreign governments. Colin Powell, Secretary of State under President Bush, sees it as more than that. He's right. After the Abu Ghraib prison disaster, the U.S. needs to show the world we practice what we preach. Defend waterboarding and Gitmo if you like, but these perceptions about American justice run deep. Perceptions do matter. There are plenty of experts who believe we can fight the War on Terror without resorting to torture and bending the rules about detaining enemy combatants. We're better than that.

Surprise Finish?

American Idol and Dancing with the Stars came to their respective season conclusions last week. The Dancing ending (a gymnast won) may not have been too shocking, but many considered the Idol win by Kris an upset. Our WBMW American Idol expert Alycia Mraz correctly predicted that the judges' fawning over Adam would work against him much the same way they did last season with David Archuletta. I agreed with the judges this time. Adam was clearly the best singer. Did he improve as the weeks went by? No, because he was star power from the start. Rebecca's and America's favorite - Kris - did get better with time and was as likeable as any American Idol winner. Alycia's pick - Danny - was also an early favorite, perhaps more of an everyman presence and personality, and his elimination clearly contributed to Kris' vote count. There were viewers who were not comfortable with Adam. Style is important in more than just singing. Consider Adam's blue state appeal and Kris' red state fan base. Compare it all to putting Mick Jagger up against Paul McCartney. It's interesting to analyze, but it's over and I can live with America's decision. They'll all be fine.

New Haven Revisited

For the first 30 years of my life, New Haven was the center of the universe - the "big city" just seven miles from where I grew up in North Branford. Even though it's only 45 miles away now, it has been about as relevant to me as Fairbanks, Alaska. Today, I actually had reason to make a trip to City Hall on the Green in the Elm City because I needed to quickly get a copy of my birth certificate. Two things left an impression on me. One was the newly widened I-95 from Branford to the longtime traffic nightmare known as the Q-Bridge. It really made the trip in a lot smoother than I recall. Now if they can only widen 95 from there to New London. The other thing that surprised me was the huge vacant lot that used to be a retail center as Macy's and Malley's downtown. The Chapel Square Mall seemed like a shadow of its former self, but the Green and Yale are still impressive. It didn't just seem like half a lifetime ago - it was! On the other hand, it reminded me how much Eastern Connecticut has become home.

My "Other" Job

Gee, with all my WBMW air time, when do I get time for another job? It goes back a ways. During one of my respites from full-time radio employment, I took an advertising sales job in 1988 in the Norwich office of Shore Line Newspapers, a group of weekly local publications which were part of ABC/Capital Cities. While I enjoyed the job, it immediately became clear to me that the sales manager, Allan Arico, was more adept at his craft than the people above him. He correctly foresaw the consequences of corporate missteps, left and started his own ad agency. I jumped ship a year later for Hartford radio while helping Allan start a leaner and meaner monthly direct mail shopping publication - The Extra - treating Jewett City/Griswold as more of its center as opposed to Norwich. I caught up with Allan again in 2002 and The Extra was still around, even though it needed a little attention. WDRC had just laid me off, so I had time to build it up. We even added editions of The Advertiser in Montville and East Lyme. It has made me a big believer in direct mail advertising. While many print media have taken horrendous hits, the "little shopper paper that could" continues its success. Allan appreciates loyalty, so I continue to be its main account executive. As far as radio vs. print is concerned, I see this and WBMW as more complementary than directly competitive. They have coexisted for me for six years now. In fact, I get to know many of our communities and businesses a lot better because of the combination of the two. My loyalties aren't divided - they are doubled.

Red Wolf Broadcasting Now Owns FM 104.1

Our Ledyard-based company - Red Wolf Broadcasting - closed on the purchase of Hartford 50,000 watt powerhouse FM 104.1 this past Wednesday. Call letters were promptly switched back to what they were a few years earlier: WMRQ, aka "modern rock alternative" Radio 104.1. Radio geeks may notice some modifications, but most listeners will just think of it as a renewed commitment to the format it has had for the past year or two, through the second half of the 90s and first half of this decade. Of course, this quickly unfolding story has not been that simple for the small number of key people who made it happen. John Fuller bought it; Brian Ram rebuilt it from scratch. My part consisted of being wined and dined to have my brain tapped for my Hartford radio knowledge and a brief guest spot on 104.1 this week being introduced by John Fuller as a "Hartford radio icon." My knowledge of modern rock doesn't go too far past Green Day, R.E.M., Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers and some old school New Wave, but I'm sure it will expand the way my knowledge of hip hop did with sister station Jammin' 107-7 being next door. My WBMW co-host Rebecca knows more about 104.1's music, and she is on the midday air shift there covering for now. The evolution of WMRQ - the new 800-pound gorilla in the room (two doors down, anyway) here at Red Wolf Broadcasting - will continue. Stay tuned.

Terms That Make Many Men Uncomfortable

In the hit comedy movie "I Love You, Man", the main character played by Paul Rudd is getting married and is facing the dilemma of not having a best man. He has no male friends. I can't relate. I have never gotten as far as marriage, for one thing. Don't even try to analyze that one. On the other hand, I have been blessed by more than a few good and even close friends, both male and female. And guess what - we even talk about things. Like most guys, I've always hogged the remote and refused to ask for directions, but apparently I'm a rare breed. Is this the part where I profess my heterosexuality? That seems to be the case when a lot of straight males get anywhere near the subject of close male friends. It does make a lot of men uncomfortable. Calling it "bromance" doesn't help. I'm squirming a bit right now. The mere acknowledgement that another guy might be good looking can also prompt that reaction. While mentioning that Hugh Jackman's looks had a lot to do with the success of his movie "Wolverine," a TV movie reviewer had to preface it by saying, "Speaking as a heterosexual male..." The new term "man crush" is supposed to mean straight men wanting to hang out with another guy who seems pretty cool. That's all it means, but I could see how that could be misconstrued. To quote Seinfeld: "Not that there's anything wrong with that!"

Governor Rell Addresses the Swine Flu Scare

This week marked the first time Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell was a guest on the Soft Rock 106.5 WBMW Wakeup Club. You realize the priority level given to the new potential pandemic known as swine flu when it takes precedence over putting together a state budget. The budget battle itself involves some very painful measures during this lingering recession - and that would have been Topic One during our interview - but this public health crisis quickly grabbed the headlines. Governor Rell gave us an update on the state's part in preparing for and dealing with any swine flu outbreak in Connecticut. While the number of cases so far may not suggest a major outbreak yet, it is clear that the World Health Organization, federal government and Rell administration are taking this very seriously. I remember getting a swine flu vaccination during a similar potential outbreak in 1976. The epidemic or pandemic didn't materialize. Unlike 1976, we don't expect to have a vaccine for this variation of swine flu until the fall. Let's hope this scare turns out to be a false alarm, too.

Walking for Babies

WBMW's involvement with the March of Dimes and the cause of healthy babies took a two-pronged approach this spring. First, there was the very successful Diaper Derby at Mystic Aquarium. Then last weekend, Bluff Point State Park in Groton was the place for the March for Babies. It was a well attended, brisk 3-mile walk through an amazing natural preserve in the shadow of an urban area. It was a bumpy trip for folks like my co-emcee Rebecca wheeling baby carriages, but her 9-month-old Liliana enjoyed it just fine. My mistake was not bringing anything to eat along the way, and my blood sugar plummeted, but we all made it. As close as this state park may be, it was my first walk through Bluff Point. I hope it's not my last. Thanks to everyone who participated in the March of Dimes March for Babies.